13 NFL Players Who Will Show the Most Improvement in 2012

They did not have the worst seasons in 2011, but they did not always achieve everything they could have or intended to.

Players in the NFL always have to strive to be better.

The 2012 season will be one where we look at these stars and see whether the "lack" of play (which again, I said was not always a bad thing, just not as productive) will improve or will we see a deterioration in the product on the field?

In this case, I am gambling on these performers to step up their "A" game and help their teams get better.

With 32 teams and 53 players on each squad, every player is out to make a name for himself, and the marquee players are the ones we flash the spotlight on.

When they deliver, we cheer, and when they make mistakes, miss an open receiver or fumble away an opportunity, it raises eyebrows, and in this case, we wonder whether time or the right situation is passing them by.

These players are the ones we can expect bigger things from in 2012.

Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders

So much was made of this trade.

The Raiders mortgaged their future for the former Heisman Trophy winner's arm. And the Raiders looked like a better team by the end of the season.

But still, losing draft picks for this veteran was a little too much.

Palmer needs to prove he is the player who was a Bengal, leading them to the playoffs. He has some nice weapons to work with. All he needs to do is get them the ball.

If this Palmer is the Palmer of old, the Raiders could be interesting in 2012.

Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams

Sam Bradford can still be the next big thing.

Last season, the third-year pro was plagued by injuries. He will need to prove that he can return to the 2010 form that had Rams fans thinking he could be better than any other quarterback in Rams history (including Kurt Warner).

The fact that Bradford now has new weapons to play with (Brian Quick) and still has a workhorse in Steven Jackson means there is still hope in Missouri.

It will be interesting to see how new head coach Jeff Fisher will use his offense's greatest weapon.

Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars

If there was ever a quarterback who needs a mulligan from 2011, it's Blaine Gabbert. Maybe 2012 and Gabbert will be a successful marriage.

Gabbert has the chance to be much improved under Mike Mularkey's offense. And with new weapons to throw to and the chance that Marcedes Lewis will be improved, this could be a better offense and, therefore, a better team.

I'm personally rooting for Gabbert.

Joe Flacco, Baltimore Ravens

I don't think Flacco is all that bad as a passer. He is asked to manage football games and not lose them.

But the best passers in the game "win" games rather than lose them.

Flacco can be judged by quarterbacks taken in the same class as him (Matt Ryan) and those taken after him (Andy Dalton).

He needs to find a happy medium between these two. Also, the Ravens defense may finally decline, so having a more potent offense is crucial to the success of this team.

Marcedes Lewis, Jacksonville Jaguars

Last season, Lewis was not the Pro Bowl player of 2010. He was more MIA instead.

Lewis was supposed to be a great weapon for Blaine Gabbert to use as he was learning the offense, but a lack of productivity (no touchdowns) and many dropped passes have cause for the big tight end to want to make amends for his poor performance last season.

Lewis stated in an article in the Florida Times-Union that off-field issues contributed to his lack of concentration on the field. This season, the Jaguars will need more than just concentration from the red-zone target for the passing game to be successful.

If he can be the productive player he was two seasons ago, Gabbert will feel better in the pocket on third down.

Ray Lewis, Baltimore Ravens

Injuries. Ray Lewis doesn't have injuries.

Well, last season he did. Superman looked vulnerable last year, and that led to discussion that maybe he was not the player he once was.

Lewis put those comments about "retirement" on the back burner and is back for another season, obviously to prove those who think he may be on the downside of his career are dead wrong.

DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles

Jackson needs to have a better season with the Eagles organization.

He could be the best "all-around" receiver and player in the league if he can get past the fact that it is not always about him.

Maybe the new contract he signed with the Eagles will help squelch that problem.

When he is on his game, there are few who are as much a touchdown threat every time they touch the ball than he is.

Mark Sanchez, New York Jets

I do believe the spotlight will make Sanchez finally realize his full potential.

And having the rock star of the NFL on your team competing for your starting spot might have something to do with it.

After leading the Jets to the AFC Championship Game his first two years in the league, Sanchez did not play up to those "standards" last season.

He needs to play better and look like the true leader of this team or someone with a No. 15 on his chest may take his place.

Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys

Is the Cowboys' window quickly closing?

Romo is a good "regular season" quarterback, and then something happens if the team is in the playoffs.

Romo has only won a single game in the postseason, and he needs to prove he can take this team to the next level.

Romo is in that same category as Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck, Jay Cutler and Matt Schaub: passers who put up big numbers but cannot win the big games.

Sidney Rice, Seattle Seahawks

Rice was supposed to be the primary target in the Seahawks passing game last season.

He played in only nine games, hauled in a "huge" 32 receptions and was placed on injured reserve.

Can Rice, who signed a five-year contract with the Seahawks, become that huge threat downfield this team desperately needs?

Time will tell. But having a strong-armed passer in Matt Flynn will help Rice become a better player and a prime target defenses will have to prepare for.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati Bengals

Will "The Law Firm" become an elite back with the Bengals?

On a team that had Cedric Benson last season carry the load, Green-Ellis will be the featured back in the Cincinnati offense. Can he duplicate the stats of Benson or exceed them in Jay Gruden's offense?

While he did score 11 touchdowns for the Patriots last season, he only gained 667 yards on the ground. The Bengals are expecting more of this free agent pick-up.

Asante Samuel, Atlanta Falcons

Can a change in scenery lead to better play?

The Falcons hope that is the case for Samuel, who was not happy in Philadelphia last season and sought a trade from up north.

Even though he was selected as a Pro Bowl starter in 2010, the Eagles secondary became too crowded, which made Samuel expendable.

If he can duplicate the production of 2010 as a member of the Falcons, then Atlanta got a steal, having only given up a seventh-round pick to acquire him.

Toby Gerhart, Minnesota Vikings

Want to see if your backup running back is really cut out for a starting role? Just have the best runner in the NFL go down with an injury and see what happens.

Last season, Adrian Peterson went down with a knee injury, one that may affect his playing time in 2012.

According to a report on espn.com, the Vikings have "assembled a regimented program for him in hopes of having him ready for his previously stated goal of Week 1 next season."

But if he can't go, it would appear the third-year runner from Stanford will be more than willing to step in.

Gerhart gained 853 in his first two seasons with Minnesota.